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My cat Hunter apparently had a nosebleed tonight. He was sneezing fine droplets of blood, and had long strands of bloody boogers hanging from his nose. The blood was fresh (bright red, not the deeper red of old/dried blood).

He has chronic sinus infections that we occasionally treat with antibiotics when they seem particularly bad (his breathing becomes louder because of the congestion), but we've been unable to cure the sinus problems.

He is 10 years old, and neutered. He's currently being treated for an unknown parasite (he was gassy and his eosinophil count was high, but we were unable to identify the specific parasite, so he had two doses of a dewormer, 1 month apart. The second dose was 3 days ago).

I dripped some saline into his nose to try to stop the bleeding (until he sneezed out non-bloody boogers), but I'm not sure if this was the best treatment. If it happens again, should I do anything, and if so, what?

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One of my animals had severe nosebleeds and I did the following:

  • Keep the pet as calm as possible. In any animal, including humans, nosebleeding can be somewhat controlled by blood pressure and hormones produced by the body.

  • Place ice on the nose and keep the room cool. Heat can cause vasodilation, which allows more blood to flow; if the cat gets excited when the ice is placed try placing the ice in a towel or just keeping the room cool. The more excited the cat, the more the blood will flow.

  • In some cases applying pressure and clamping the nose shut helps the bleeding stop. But this may agitate your cat.

  • If the blood is a lot, you should consult an Emergency Animal Hospital or your vet. If the blood is not a lot, you can probably wait until morning. Always consult your vet about bleeding in your cat, because this could be a sign of something more serious. In my pet it was the sign of a fatal illness that later killed my pet. You should be careful about what you put up your cat's nose, as this may cause sneezing and aggravate more bleeding to start. Even saline can irritate the nose. Talk to your vet because bleeding may be a side effect or it may not be.

  • Always know what has anticoagulants inside of it, because this can make bleeding worse. If not sure, consult your doctor.

Additional Info

vcahospitals.com

veterinarypartner.com

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